We told you on August 17th that RIM was selling their SharePoint client for BlackBerry that ties into BES for enterprise users. Now a few weeks later RIM remembers that they launched the client and has finally gotten around to announcing it officially. They hope to tap the 100 million licensed SharePoint users around the world with the product though I really wish it was a free client and did not require a company to tie it into their BES.
Here is how RIM describes it:
Designed to deliver fast, efficient information sharing and secure enterprise collaboration, the BlackBerry Client for Microsoft SharePoint puts essential business resources and document management tools into the hands of mobile professionals in a secure, manageable way. Optimized for BlackBerry smartphones and featuring streamlined navigation for fast document access, the client integrates tightly with core BlackBerry features and functionality for greater productivity.
Features include:
- Navigate, read & create content in SharePoint libraries
- List collection view
- Customized lists
- View profile details
- BlackBerry Universal Search
- Blog and wiki support
Still now that it is official you can read more about it on their blog or on their SharePoint for BlackBerry landing page.
RIM Mobilizes Microsoft SharePoint on BlackBerry
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, Oct 03, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX News Network) —
Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM)(TSX: RIM) announced today the BlackBerry(R) Client for Microsoft SharePoint, delivering the most advanced mobile SharePoint solution on the market. The BlackBerry Client app provides a deeply integrated and intuitive mobile experience for users together with the market-leading manageability and security of BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server, providing a secure and cost-effective solution for businesses and government organizations.
"Our enterprise and government customers asked us to bring a highly refined mobile experience to SharePoint and we are delivering that today with the BlackBerry Client for Microsoft SharePoint," said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at Research In Motion.
Connectivity between BlackBerry(R) smartphones and SharePoint servers is made possible with the market-leading BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server software. The complete solution features:
-- Client app integration with core BlackBerry features and functions such
as email, calendar, browser, and Universal Search providing an intuitive
user experience
-- Check-out, check-in, and versioning of files reflected on the SharePoint
server
-- Microsoft Office document editing using Documents To Go(R) (pre-
installed on BlackBerry smartphones) to download, create, revise and
upload documents
-- Access to Blogs, Wikis and Lists and the ability to update from a
BlackBerry smartphone
-- Content searches across multiple SharePoint sites from a BlackBerry
smartphone
In addition to user benefits, the complete solution also comes with many benefits for organizations and their IT departments. Application management and over-the-air provisioning of the Client app is made easy for IT departments with BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server. The DataSmart(TM) efficiency of the BlackBerry solution transmits more data with less monthly data plan usage, allowing organizations to consider smaller or more budget-friendly plans. And CIOs will welcome the fact that confidential company information is being transmitted securely over the wireless network between BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry smartphones.
"In a world of continuous connectivity, businesses and governments require products, services and information faster and more reliably than ever before," said Victor Garcia, Chief Technology Officer at HP Canada. "The BlackBerry Client for Microsoft SharePoint helps to address the needs of today’s mobile workforce with new tools and mobile applications to enable collaboration and productivity."
A number of Fortune 500 companies and government agencies plan to roll out the BlackBerry Client for Microsoft SharePoint in the coming weeks.
The BlackBerry Client for Microsoft SharePoint is available today in over six languages and more than 25 countries. For more information, visit www.blackberry.com/sharepoint.
